Pork Dumplings

My family loves to eat pork dumpling. I decided to make this dish for the Lunar New Year. Everyone is so excited. I myself cannot wait for the dim sum to be ready.

Advertisement

It is tasty and delicious. I hope that you will love this recipe as much as we did.

How to Cook Pork Dumpling

Pork dumplings are easy to make. These also cooks quickly. Start by making sure that all the ingredients are ready.

Advertisement

The first thing that I do is prepare the cabbage. Combine chopped cabbage with salt. Mash the cabbage using your clean hands until the salt is mixed completely. Let it stay for at least 10 minutes.

Once the cabbage is ready, you can prepare the pork dumpling filling. Combine ground pork, shrimp, ginger, and chives in a bowl. Partially mix all the ingredients.

You can actually mix all the filling ingredients in one shot, but I opted to do it this way so that I can be sure that each ingredient gets distributed properly. Using a stand mixer enables you to easily mix every ingredient at once and still get optimal results. I choose the dough hook when using this equipment.

The next step is to add the remaining filling ingredient. This pertains to all remaining ingredients except for water and wrapper. Make sure that all the ingredients are well distributed before you stop mixing. Doing this manually will require some effort. Think about it as a form of exercise. It can also increase your appetite and make you eager to finish cooking the dumplings sooner.

Wrap the dumplings using the Gyoza wrapper. Scoop around 1 ½ tablespoons of pork and shrimp filling and place it on the wrapper. Fold the wrapper symmetrically and seal the edges to secure the filling. Using fresh dumpling wrappers is better because you are able to seal the edges the traditional way, which is by folding it into ripples. I secure the edges of the store-bought Gyoza wrapper by pushing the tip of a fork against the edges. This is the same method that I use to seal pork empanadas.

The next and final step is to steam the dumplings. Boil water for steaming. Arrange the dumplings on a steamer. I place a few pieces of cabbage leaves on the base of the steamer before putting the pork dumplings. This prevents the dumplings from sticking on the steamer. Steam for 10 minutes and serve.

This goes well with my yummy dumpling dipping sauce.

How to Make Dumpling Dipping Sauce

The dipping sauce will make your dumpling eating experience more enjoyable. It adds more flavor to the dish.

It is composed of the following: ½ cup light soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon Sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon Sesame seeds. Simply combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl and stir until well blended. Chili flakes can also be added to make it spicier.

Pork Dumpling Alternative Ingredients

Pork and Shrimp are essential ingredients of this dim sum dish. Other proteins can also be used as substitutes. Shrimp can also be omitted, especially if you are allergic to it. Ground chicken makes a good alternative to pork. Ground beef will also work, but I recommend cooking it beforehand before being mixed with the rest of the filling ingredients.

I used Savoy cabbage for this recipe. Regular cabbage and Napa cabbage are good alternatives.

I still recommend using fresh dumpling wrappers instead of Gyoza wrapper. It is best If you have time to make one from scratch, or purchase it if it is available in your local supermarket.

Pork Dumpling Cooking Tips

There are many ways to cook dumplings. Steaming is one, you can also fry or boil the pork dumplings.

Boiling the dumplings is easy. Simply put around 4 cups of water into a boil. Add 4 to 5 pieces of dumplings at a time, and then boil between low to medium heat for 10 minutes.

Frying the dumplings makes it a pot sticker. I do this by pouring 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan and then fry enough dumplings that can fit in the pan. Water is also added to steam the dumplings while frying. 12 tablespoons of water should be enough. Pour water and then cover the pan. Continue to cook until water evaporates. This leaves the oil behind. Remove the cover and fry in medium heat for 1 to 3 minutes.

Scoop 1 ½ teaspoon of pork mixture and place it in the middle of the Gyoza wrapper. Secure the filling by symmetrically folding the wrapper and pressing the edges. You may also press using the tip of a fork.

Arrange the pork dumplings on a steamer lined with cabbage leaves. Cover and steam for 10 minutes.